CORE C DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The Clinical Support Core of the Center for AIDS Research provides services to facilitate the rapid conduct of patient-based research at the NYU CFAR, including: (1) epidemiological and biostatistical consultation; (2) biomathematical modeling; (3) processing and storage of biological samples from HIV-infected patients and uninfected controls; (4) cataloging and distribution of information on specimens stored either in the CFAR Clinical Support Core facilities or in the laboratories of CFAR investigators; and (5) procurement of subjects and fresh biological samples for HIV/AIDS studies. In the areas of biostatistics, biomathematics and epidemiology, the Core responds to requests for assistance in the design and analysis of studies, recruitment of research volunteers, or the creation or application of mathematical models. Specimen management activities are integrated with epidemiological consultation, so that investigators wishing access to specific types of specimens or patients are referred to colleagues who have stored appropriate specimens or enrolled appropriate patients with the Core. The Clinical Support Core's provision of epidemiological and biostatistical consultation in addition to specimen management services ensures that unnecessarily duplicative collection of biological samples from patients is avoided.